Friday review (2)

First, an apology. Bestival is probably the most photogenic festival going with colour everywhere. Unfortunately, a broken camera battery charger – and no replacement available on the island – means that eFestivals is photo-less. Sorry.

Arriving, the car park set-up is different this year - no shuttle-bussing needed, as the car park is on top of the hill above the site. Having exchanged tickets for wristbands, we head down the new path towards the site, with the less steady bodies loaded with tents and more tumbling down around us.

Who thought this path was suitable? Too steep, and with a loose stoney surface, the injured could be seen limping around the festival all weekend, and rumours of broken legs abound ... if it had rained, things would have been far far worse. It doesn’t take long for this dangerous and painful error to be realised – but too late to spoil some people’s weekend. The path is closed to down-traffic, and a gentler sloping alternative saves those yet to arrive.

Checking out the arena, it seems as though Bestival is the world’s biggest eighties disco – ‘classic’ (can that apply to the eighties? Probably not if you actually remember it!) songs hit me from every direction. Into the Bollywood Bar to sample the cocktails and Terry Hall’s DJ set, it’s more of the same, broken up by regular PA failures.

Off to the main stage, it’s The Fall. Whoever is in the band this week certainly know their stuff, and they’re as tight as it gets, while Mark E Smith drones over the top. Superb!

They’re followed by Ronson, DJ Mark Ronson’s live project. There’s a guest appearance from a stick-thin Amy Winehouse – pure class!, followed by what was the worst of the weekend: Lily Allen, singing the Kaiser’s ‘Oh My God’ – such an appropriate title! At the end, Mr Ronson apologises for the ‘technical problems’: I guess that’s one way to describe Ms Allen’s awful musical timing and tuneless singing.

Off to the Blue Pavillion, there’s a DJ playing (Max Segley?) to an up-for-it crowd while The Bays set-up their kit. To those unfamiliar with The Bays, they don’t release records and they don’t have songs, it’s all improvised. Past sets I’ve seen have had them start slowly and build up, but taking their cue from the tent it’s lively from the off, and they deliver a truly stunning set. And now it’s all catching up with me – I’ve been up from 3am to get to the ferry, and my choice is sleep, and energy for Saturday.

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